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RE: North to Alaska
Places in Alaska to see and do...take your pick.
Practically everywhere is a must see, with plenty of other activities surrounding wherever you are is a optional go do -or a must do.
If driving out upon your return trip going thru Canada, I also highly recommend visiting Chicken Alaska, via Dawson City (takes you back 100 years) as Dawson City is very historical and similar to comparing Virginia City Nevada.....After leaving Whitehorse, I also highly recommend a sidetrip to Skagway and Dyea...
I driven 7.5 round trips on the entire Alaska Highway and one round trip on the Cassiar Highway and would recommend driving the Cassiar enroute to see Stewart and Hyder on a short sidetrip as well, the Alaska Hwy. is a nice route too either way whatever route one decides to go southbound.
If fishing is in the plans, do research the timeframe of the scheduled fish runs for salmon in the prespective areas so you can be present...and check for current updates with Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game for early or late open fishing announcements or early or late fishing closures that might occur.
I see quite a few regular members from the Canada and Alaska Forum already posted and filled you in on tons of info...Joe B. is one of the true ambassadors of knowledge who has lived in the Alaska Interior and remote Western Villages, and lived the subsistence life while extensively travelled by road and plane throughout Canada and Alaska.
Many Alaska visitors posting here are returning visitors that know their travels too and travel extensively periodically or yearly...the far north of Canada and Alaska is like a magnet and people come back every chance they get.
As for the Alaska Residents that post here....well you will find out soon enough on your first visit upon why we live here.
As for me, going on 30 years now... I ended up with a life sentence of serving what is now classified as "30 years to life in Alaska".
This is coming from a person that managed to escape California a long time ago as a former Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside County resident.
My first to fourth guess is you might be from the Carlsbad, Oceanside, Del Mar or Escondido area.
After your first visit in Alaska, you will have so many stories to tell you never thought of being a part of.
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AKsilvereagle
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05/07/12 02:26am |
Truck Campers
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RE: N.C. To Deadhorse AK
I second that to everything alaskan-rver had posted...
With addition reference to a planned trip during September, you will be dealing with a greater volume of commercial traffic at it's heaviest throughout the Dalton Hwy., and Alaska Hwy. particularly in the Central BC area north of Ft. St. John in the industrial gas areas... where these semis will be hauling many lowboy trailers with oversized permit loads escorted by pilot trucks upon moving their heavy equipment around getting ready for winter season, so dont expect to make time on these majority of two lane roads.
The Dalton Hwy. is not your type of road to make time on either, especially if significant rainfall occurs to where the road surfaces will get mighty rough...I seen more than enough semi truck aluminum radiators and fuel tanks get stressed out, having to be scrapped from truck drivers making time on that road.
Darkness sure does add up quickly losing 7 minutes a day in the Fairbanks area during September, and losing even more than that the farther north you are.
I seen snow stick as early as September 10 in Fairbanks, but the average snowfall to stick here is generally the first week of October, ground freezes solid for sure by second week of October.
September in Interior Alaska can be one of those freezing months or a warm indian summer phase, lots of weather changes in between as you just never know.
I personally will not take any RV all the way to Deadhorse anytime in the month of September for reasons stated above and as cold as it gets, you will not enjoy it.... however personally I would go as far as the Yukon River in an RV during that time of year.
Lots of hunters tend to travel the corridor during September too.
I would personally recommend no later than a mid August target date of reaching Deadhorse in an RV to make it somewhat enjoyable.
As previous posts had mentioned, you will need to have quite a flexible schedule for a long haul type of planned trip from NC according to the post we all read....Lots of hills and construction zones in between, and other elements that can slow travel such as rainy days, delays or temporary road closures can occur on any route in the far north due to weatherfronts.
The Dalton Hwy. (Haul Road) is open all year and yes a roadtrip to Deadhorse could still be done in September, best to be well prepared and haul extra equipment such as tires and fuel, warm gear for starters.
Best of luck on your September travels.
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AKsilvereagle
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05/06/12 11:49pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Alcan trip completed
Going out to sea.... I would definately have at least a warm coat onhand as the wind alone will be potentially cool or cold enough...I always had to wear a long sleeve hoodie to a heavy coat whenever I sailed in the gulf or passage (during June and July), pretty much anytype of coat short of a parka or my -50 below plus toasty eskimo coat.
As far as the IGA store in Delta Junction, they always have the freshest produce onhand....the only other place with this quality in the far north region I witnessed was Safeway in Prince Rupert, everywhere else in between is hit and miss with fruits and produce.
Fred Meyer (Kroger Foods) does have the fresher stocked produce in the Fairbanks region, but not like the IGA store in Delta Junction.
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AKsilvereagle
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05/06/12 03:06pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Canadian currency exchange
As far as exchanging US currency for Canadian cash currency is concerned, it is best to buy and sell your Canadian Dollars within Canada no question...You can search online with major banks in Canada that post their current foreign exchange rates of listed currencies and compare.
From my experience in the past from 1985 between travels within the Northern BC and Yukon Territory regions, I have never seen any bank in Canada open on Saturdays, up until last year where one bank in Whitehorse I know for sure is open on Saturdays now.
This is speaking from experience of protocol along Alaska and Yukon Territory for exchanging currency :
Upon my attempt to exchange US currency back in 2010 at Whitehorse, the one major bank that has the best deal on exchanging currency had now changed their policy of capping a limit amount for non bank account members up to $1000 CAD per day, per one ($3.00 nonmember fee) transaction, as I hit all the other banks in Whitehorse of either getting turned down or the bank not willing to exchange more than $100 USD....The Canada banks in Whitehorse used to be so much more flexible in the past reference to the higher amounts to exchange and rate of the exchange compared to today.
The currency exchange centres in Whitehorse have a slightly higher exchange rate compared to most Canada Banks, but do have a much larger cap limit if so desired...but are much better comparing to the only two Alaska Banks in the Interior that will exchange currency (Denali State Bank in Tok and Key Bank of Alaska main branch in Downtown Fairbanks), as all the other banks in Interior Alaska wont even bother with it....The two Alaska banks here are known to charge as high as 5 to 9 percent on their buy and sell rates, reeeeal crappy.
Key Bank of Alaska in Fairbanks had a more reasonable foreign exchange rate in the past, as I have not exchanged currency there since 1998 and just waited until I arrived in Canada.
My other suggestion in case the Canada Banks are closed after hours where you get in a CAD cash bind, hit the casino cage or a Walmart if you are in a major town before attempting to do business at an exchange centre as I find that on most occasions the casino cage and Walmart do tend to give a slight better rate over an exchange centre.
A past thread last year was mentioned by someone stating that Walmart now automatically calculates an extra percentage fee of exhanging US Dollars while purchasing goods (while recieving Canadian Dollars in change), as Walmart had went by the current market rate before.
I am one person that will always strive and look for the lowest rate and or no fee transactions when possible (I don't believe in paying for someone elses retirement other than my own), as I will not use my bankcards unless it was a stranded type of emergency crisis, Canadian Cash is always king with me when travelling and visiting Canada.
Another suggestion I will stress out (if travelling via Alaska Hwy) is whatever amount of Canadian Cash you feel comfortable with carrying, I would make sure to stock up to your comfort level amount before proceeding beyond Fort St. John (at mile 45 Alaska Hwy.) as there are only two banks that I know of between Ft. St. John and Whitehorse (Scotiabank in Ft. Nelson at mile 283 and CIBC in Watson Lake at mile 613), which is pretty sparce for an 840 mile stretch.
I finally have opened a bank account in Canada last September and now established (the Edmonton branch fit me in as the Whitehorse branch I always had to make an appointment for a future date which I could never meet when I was overdue on my return) and it is soooo nice now with the no limit cap and no $3.00 transaction fees that apply, I only pay the current roughly 3% bank foreign exchange rate...They also set me up with a Canada funds and a US funds account that I can diversify and exchange either way at anytime I wish according to favorable market rate conditions - wish american banks were like this !
Hope my perspective of what I dealt with in the past with exchanging currency within the far north regional area helps here, as every bank and policies are different in other regions.
Happy travels on the ALCAN !
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AKsilvereagle
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05/06/12 02:47pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: San Francisco Bay Area Bridge Tolls Going Up
I remember visiting in 1989 driving my 70 Thunderbird over the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate, and the San Rafael bridge on the same day....and don't think it cost me more than $8 combined.
Relocated my Mom to live with me back in 1991 as she resided in the Sonoma and Lake County areas at the time...I left Los Angeles in 1982 as it will be my 30th year in Alaska.
How things significantly change in California, but then again....all prices are increased everywhere.
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AKsilvereagle
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05/04/12 06:53am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Entry to Canada with DUI
From what I understand, both Canada and US Customs classify all criminal offenses in one of two catagories :
-Minor offenses
-Major offenses
DUI's are recognized as a "major offense" by both countries, regardless if the level of conviction(s) were classified as an infraction, misdemeanor or felony.
So in other words any foreign citizen entering the US with a DUI conviction, is pretty much recognized the same as a felony conviction...
The same criteria as a foreign citizen entering Canada with a DUI conviction.
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AKsilvereagle
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05/04/12 06:27am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Spring has sprung - Yukon River ice breakup at Dawson City
The Tanana River ice at Nenana went out April 23, fourth earliest in the 96 years of the tripod's existance.
I had April 27 thru May 6 covered on my 10 guesses for the Nenana Ice Classic, second time in the past 10 years I did not hit the exact day with my entries....I never had thought this past April was going to be so warm above normal.
I would love to see the ice go out on the Yukon River someday, THAT is a sight to see !
They do have a few links on youtube though.
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AKsilvereagle
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05/04/12 06:08am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Alcan trip completed
Snow flurries here on May 1, and hit around 18 F overnight on May 2...coldest days the area has seen since late March.
The month of April was very warm as the coldest day of the month was April 30 this year.
Just for reference for those heading into Fairbanks, they currently have the northbound divided lanes closed on the Richardson Hwy. as phase 1 started on the 6 mile stretch of resurfacing from Eielson AFB to the Chena Flood Control Bridge...all the pavement is removed as well as the guardrails.
It will be no passing construction zone with two lane traffic thru that stretch the majority of this summer.
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AKsilvereagle
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05/04/12 05:56am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: New RV Park in Red Deer AB??
I would just like to make a comment reference to the Lions Club RV Park where I stayed at overnight last September....
Real nice clean place (with lots of landscaping and a trail walkpath) and great people too as let me park in the parking lot.... They opened the entry gate for me when it was 130am as I was sooooo dead tired upon a long day enjoying Edmonton by the time I made it to the Red Deer area.
It was my first time in the region and did not know my way around at all, as I was searching for a place to rest up and crossed paths with the campground signs marked and followed them to the location (thru downtown travelling northbound).
All the campground spaces were full, however they did let me use the shower facility which was nice as they only charged me $10 total for an overnighter with a hot shower upon a late arrival at that.
That place made me feel very welcomed.
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AKsilvereagle
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05/04/12 05:36am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: The Geese are Northbound
The geese and swans arrived here in Interior Alaska over two weeks ago....about a week early than the average time.
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AKsilvereagle
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04/23/12 01:15am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Shop carefully...
I have yet to buy anything from ebay, or even have a paypal account for that matter...more likely never will.
Whenever I browse for some item I am looking for on ebay, or any other website...I contact the seller directly providing they have contact info (which most every seller has), and I will speak to a person and obtain what info I can when potentially buying from a first time seller or business online (and attempt to weigh in upon getting the best overall deal as others mentioned).
A few times I contacted a seller by phone inquiring a ebay advertised item and asked what is the best deal you can give me to ship it to Alaska WITHOUT going thru ebay channels, and can you also deliver it to my PO Box address via post office rather than 2nd day air, as most of them will cater to that.
I will only shop online with a secure website (https), or I can mail in a money order.
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AKsilvereagle
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04/18/12 05:59am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Passport Question about entering Canada from the U.S.
Check the US State Dept website under the travel information for specific details....
You and your family can opt for "passport cards" which are valid for travel upon returning from Canada, Mexico, and the Carribean which are much cheaper vs a US passport and valid for re-entry in the US.
US Citizens entering Canada (as well as Canada Citizens entering the US) minimum document requirements for entry into the respected foreign country is to submit a photo ID and birth certificate (by establishing proof of citizenship and proof of identity)...
However, all US Citizens upon re-entry into the US are required to possess a US passport or equivelent documentation listed in the WHTI guidelines.
Although the requirement covers and states "ALL US Citizens are required to bear and possess US Passports, passport cards, enhanced ID's, nexus cards, or equivelent....
At this current time, it also states that children under the age of 16 "may also" re-enter the US with only proof of citizenship (such as a birth certificate).
In my opinion, to be on the safe side I would obtain passport cards for children under the age of 16 as the state department suggests these document requirements are going to be more essential to possess with the everyday changes that occur.
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AKsilvereagle
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04/18/12 05:13am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: VINTAGE 69 Dodge D200 TC
Who makes that super-sized radaitor and do they make one that's got the engine feed connection over on the driver's side vs the passenger side?
My stock radiator is factory original and pretty much on its way out. I plan to replace it before going on the big trip in september.
On my 1970 Dodge with the slant 6 radiator, no distributor had an application for it for the old Sweptlines but they were listed for the A block V8's...
One place in East Los Angeles (Vernon) called Desert Coolers (or Desert Radiators) which showed a listing for the old Slant 6 tank configuration and they custom made mine, as I paid an extra $100 ($400 total back in 2000) and opted for a four core from the standard three core configuration.
I was very satisfied on the workmanship and my custom brass radiator is still going strong, it was almost a bolt on fit as the drilling holes were 1.5 inches off so I drilled four holes myself to align the mounting areas.
If anything if you run out of options of looking for a custom radiator for your rig, you might want to give Desert Coolers a call.
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AKsilvereagle
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04/15/12 05:08pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: VINTAGE 69 Dodge D200 TC
What a serious and impressive truck with all the mods done to it - a mass amount of work to get that truck in that condition....it makes me sooooo jealous but that truck is one of those exceeded expectations projects....what a superior and pretty truck too, with plenty of Mag Power to move it !!!!!
That is one heavy camper on that truck too and I can imagine what mods were done with all the suspension and handling upon hauling a Lance Deluxe camper like that one....These 61-71 Sweptline Dodge Series did not have a factory front sway bar equipped until 1970.
There is no way I would put a cabover camper on my 70 Dodge Truck, and you made it work with that gorgeous superior 69 truck with yours.
This is my 1970 D200 that I have owned since Oct 1991 and it is STILL my everyday winter driver and canoe hauler in the summer (although it is parked past -20 below because it is hard on the clutch) however the body on mine is becoming more of a rustbucket and the floorboards were patched up 10 years ago and still holding up...these Sweptline Trucks are nothing but all steel !
http://i41.tinypic.com/op5uf5.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/bg3h9d.jpg
My 70 Dodge in it's winter configuration :
http://i40.tinypic.com/ejzf5c.jpg
Mine is actually a reconstructed truck, as the cab and bed came off of an original D100 chassis (Warren MI #1 plant ID) and was installed on the D200 Chassis (from the St. Louis plant)...The Mack Bulldogs on the hood of mine came with the truck as the previous owner installed security bolts on them, I wish every manufacturer configured the engine compartment hoods like these old Dodge Sweptlines, you never need to remove the hood upon engine swaps !
I totally rebuilt the 225 slant 6 in it that came out of a 1969 Dart in Aug 1995 and swapped the old engine out and is equipped with dual valve springs with aluminum retainers (only application that would fit), hi volume oil pump, .030 TRW forged 8.5:1 with chrome moly rings...I now have over 88,000 rebuilt miles on mine and when the timing chain stretches I already have a hard to find double roller set onhand from Progear and it will run even better, as proven in my 72 Dart now with 110,000 rebuilt miles.
The reason I went this route with the forged pistons (although I never had a problem with my 72 Dart slant 6 in the subzero cold temps before it was rebuilt) was because I seen three slant 6 engines throw a #5 or #6 rod thru the block due to -40 or colder temps when people were warming up their engines (which I believe they were not well taken care of enough and not equipped with an oil heat pad to keep the oil warm enough to flow sufficiently to my guess).
Trans on mine is a 435 New Process 4 speed and still original with the same clutch too, the only mod I done to the trans was replace the shifting rod mounting clip in it.
I also noticed the engine compartment picture with the superior grounding on the frame and body shown on the passenger side, cant go wrong with that either as I too have superior grounding on all my old rigs with any scrap copper wiring I get a hold of that is 1 to 4 gauge stranded and all interlinked together and coated in grease to exposed ends...
-Ground post on battery to engine block...
-Engine block to frame...
-Frame to ground switch...
-Ground switch to starter mounting bolt...
-Starter mounting bolt to firewall or cowling...
-Firewall to external volt reg mounting bolt with a 6 gauge wire...
This is why I never have electrical problems on my old rigs either.
That 69 Dodge of yours is too much and I really think it cannot be topped in this class - way awesome !
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AKsilvereagle
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04/15/12 04:57pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Suprise!!
Well, one famous Yukoner had a diamond tooth and they called her Gertie...maybe it was her.
There was a Klondike Kate that was famous too.
Another one they called Buckshot Betty that is located in Beaver Creek, unlike the other two located in Dawson.
Then again, Donald Trump's grandfather owned a courier or shipping company that hauled goods during the gold rush I am thinking -to and -on the Chilkoot Trail.
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AKsilvereagle
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04/15/12 07:00am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Blackout curtains for looooong AK days?
Most of the first year people that relocate to Alaska use aluminum or tin foil, just like hook mentioned....I think the easiest thing to do is just place a pair of eye shades over your eyes.
You do know that the night sky is not bright, don't you? After about 10 or so, it is actually a twilight that gradually darkens then gets lighter in the wee morning hours. We did not do anything special to the windows and slept just fine
Just to clarify that is mentioned above, if you are located farther north in regions like (Interior Alaska) north of the Alaska Range during late May thru July it will not get dark at all, as in Fairbanks it is basically 24 hours of light for 11 weeks from mid May thru the first week of August before the area will see some form of darkness.
The farther north you are such as the Arctic Circle and beyond during the summer months you have increased sun presence compared to anywhere south of the Arctic Circle.
In Anchorage the sun will go down at 1030pm-ish on June 21 and gets mostly dark around 100am thru 400am, as in Fairbanks on the same day the sun sets after 1230am and will not get dark.
As Joe B. mentioned, when you are tired... you will sleep - the increased daylight hours are not as bothersome as many think it is.
No matter what part of Alaska or anywhere in the north country of Canada I might be during the summer, once the sun sets on June 21...it only means one thing to me - that winter is on the way.
What helps me more than anything by sleeping great and peacefully in my camper while on the road (or visiting hospitals, other people's or public places for that matter) is installing in a pair of earplugs to filter out those ungodly noises that arise you normally are not accustomed to at your own home.
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AKsilvereagle
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04/15/12 05:29am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Under payment estimated tax penalty
Although my income is based on payroll, I once ended up with a $40 penalty for one quarter when I thought I was under their $1000 quarterly liability during the June-Sept period for the 13 weeks of earned income I had calculated (as I took 3 weeks vacation time during this timeframe).
I was not informed of any penalty until the $600 tax stimulus of 2008 was sent out, along with two additional letters from the IRS explaining their calculations of that penalty quarter that was like 9 months ago which to my guess 'their' 13 week timeframe span they chose to calculate was different from the 13 week span I thought was covered which evidently placed my earned income quarter subject to the $1000 liability, while explaining why my $600 stimulus was deducted some $40 in the other letter.
I guess the only positive note upon having to pay the 6% penalty for the one quarter (after the surprise notification 9 months later) was they waived the 1% accumulated interest amount that was 'overdue' since the tax liability balance was paid in full on the qualifying tax year with the 1040 form filed that April.
Lesson learned for me as I started using the previous year's earned income formula ever since when in doubt on a potential lower paying quarter if in close proximity to the $1000 liability limit.
I too do not like to pay the feds any extra amount that is due than required, as my late uncle kept preaching to me long ago about how every agency of the federal government does not pay interest.
All my previous employment wasn't an issue of having an exemption status of 0 or 1, as they were minimum wage type jobs.
Once I worked federal contracting for 15 years, now I knew exactly what my uncle was talking about....One of the old contractors I worked for that took over the operation had breached and abruptly closed shop 5 months later with no warning and left us hangin by getting stiffed on 6 weeks of payroll (held us two weeks back, while continuing to work two more weeks in the current pay period, as then finding out a week later everyone's last compensated payroll check had bounced including mine).
The Dept. of the Army awarded the contract to someone that was not even bonded, somehow getting waived by the requirement, the union did not know we existed as there was no collective bargaining agreement for the new contract...despite having union dues deducted from our paychecks as management informed us we were still being represented, unemployment insurance was also deducted from our paychecks as well as FICA and federal taxes too...Oh yeah, found out that the State of Alaska, Social Security Administration and the IRS didn't even know we existed either while gainfully employed.
I kept asking the managers who runs the payroll department since my YTD numbers were incorrect and unbalanced at that, as I kept up with the correct figures for my payroll, as they kept informing me they will straighten it out....Once we were officially informed we worked 6 weeks total for nothing we filled out federal government applications as the majority of us were selected for civil service employment which lasted just short of a full calendar year as they reverted back to federal contract...At least the union honored our seniority time throughout the 17 month unrepresented span on the new CBA.
I was the first one that knocked on the door at the Federal Dept. of Labor and filed my case while presenting every paystub and figures as they told me they seized the other current contracts from the individual as there were no payroll records they can find regarding to our contract, and only one other person besides me had presented every paystub to the labor department that I was aware of.
It finally taken four and a half years to get compensated upon those 6 weeks of work, minus FICA and federal withholding of course.....along with no interest compensation because it was a federal contract that fell jurisdiction with the Federal Dept. of Labor.
If the State of Alaska Dept. of Labor were to have handled the case, I would have been awarded an additional 47% (at the rate of 10.5% per year)...big difference.
The turning point for me to start going the quarterly estimated route rather than payroll deduction was when 2 months before my 10th full year of employment with the federal contracting, I requested to the payroll department if they could cut a seperate check for compensating my vacation pay (as they compensate one payroll check by combining both the current two week pay period and vacation compensation increasing federal withholding substantially falling in the overtime hours bracket), since my vacation pay would be an increased amount due to a four week formula upon 10 plus years of service under union guidelines as I just paid off my house trailer and property in full and would like to have a little extra dough planning a Las Vegas trip rather than the feds locking up the much additional withholding amount.....
The payroll department told me they cannot fill that request for me as they can only cut one check per department policy, so I said OK then I understand you have a policy to adhere by.....Went home to my filing cabinet and pulled out a blank W-4 form and filled it out showing it will change to a 9 exemption status.
The following day I seen the project manager and handed the form, as she doesnt even look at it and just faxes the form to the payroll department....the phone rings 30 seconds later as the payroll department is trying to tell me I am gonna end up going to jail and get into tax trouble as I told them 'my taxes, my problem' and furthermore, now you will need to contact the IRS as they will approve it as I filled out the upper portion as well and it is signed....Once my new exemption status is in effect, you will need to process the change in the payroll database as well, have a nice day -'click' !
The change was made and gotten the extra $600 in my pocket which more than covered the round trip plane ticket.
Although I never surpassed a $1000 tax liability quarter during the federal contracting job, the current job I have now does and thus I much rather hold on to my money collecting what little interest that sits in my money market account and just pay the feds the required quarterly or calendar year tax liability when due, rather than the federal government making more interest money from my potential additional payroll withholding....I am disiplined enough to do that and have been doing that since 2000.
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AKsilvereagle
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04/15/12 04:00am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Old School
I always been a Valv-O-Line guy.
Union 76 in Los Angeles once had a gas war price of a low 29.9 cents per gallon to my existence as a young kid ..the normal price for a gallon of leaded regular was around the low 50 cent range.
I kept four oil cans for my collection until my stepbrother shot them up with BB's and got thrown away as they phased them oil cans out with todays plastic oil containers.
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AKsilvereagle
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04/15/12 12:14am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Dalton highway with TC - Tires? Breakdown?
If you are running great conditioned tires, you should have no problems whatsoever IF you take your time and drive slow enough in that regard with the Dalton Hwy. (or as they call it "Haul Road")....By all means this road is maintained year round by Alaska DOT and does not have the notorious shale rock fragments compared to the Dempster Hwy.
The only options for a flat tire repair along the Dalton Hwy. is pretty much seeing if you can get it repaired at the Yukon River Camp, Coldfoot Truck Stop, or at Deadhorse...maybe an Alaska DOT Station might help if you are in distress....The sure option is getting the tire transported to Fairbanks for repair or replacement.
The only two occasions I have carried two spare tires for my camper rig just for piece of mind was commuting in the more remote areas which were :
Travelling on the Dalton Hwy....
Travelling on the Dempster Hwy....
Travelling in the Northwest Territories on the entire Deh Cho Route loop via Fort Simpson-Yellowknife-Hay River-Wood Buffalo National Park areas.
Since I owned my camper rig in 1996, I have yet to be victimized of dealing with a flat tire, as the current tires I am running now have been rolling since 2003.
What you cannot control however is some of the other drivers operating their vehicles and semis that tend to make time and drive fast to where they will cross paths with you heading in the opposite direction to where you will be subject to flying rocks and debris hitting your rig on the non paved portions of the roadway....I always yield to all the fast moving traffic, especially the semi traffic coming from both directions as their agenda is to 'haul' as they do not want any slowdowns (especially from 'tourist traffic') if they can help it sort of speak.
The last time I driven my camper rig in the area was in 2006... once you cross over Atigun Pass, the roadway north of the pass was noticably much smoother.
The bumpiest stretches in the four times I driven portions of the Dalton Hwy were usually between :
-Mile 5 thru Hess Creek at mile 26 or so..
-Around Pump Station 6 area between mile 49 to mile 54-ish just south of the Yukon River Bridge at mile 56..
-North of the Yukon River Bridge for the next 12 miles or so ending around mile 68-ish, then you will enter the neat 'roller coaster' portion foothills thru mile 76.
-North of Coldfoot will also get intermittently bumpy within the mile 185 thru the mile 225 area....this stretch is where I seen two cargo trailers and one boat trailer broke down and stranded - as to my guess driving way too fast (as the same boat trailer passed me three days before) as it seemed the owners were making arrangments coming back to repairing and retrieving them.
In my old 1970 rig I cannot recall ever driving any faster than 30 mph on the unpaved portions, and not driving faster than 40 mph on the paved portions of the roadway as I always take my time driving the far north roads.
When the rains hit the Dalton Hwy., it will be quite rough and bumpy in worse condition but still drivable by all means.
I took a look at the link provided by ace44 and is a very nice blog, as I also recommend Marion Creek Wayside - crystal clear creeks north of the Arctic Circle like Marion Creek here :
http://i44.tinypic.com/k2cqdw.jpg
Mile 72 and 74 Dalton Hwy -portions of the roller coaster :
http://i43.tinypic.com/282maf4.jpg
http://i42.tinypic.com/n1bh9h.jpg
One of my favorite boondocking spots I encountered is this location at the middle fork of the 4th Koyukuk River crossing at mile 204 Dalton Hwy., (just north of the 3rd crossing where there is rest stop accomodations), as this spot here was also an easy access for any rig and parked right next to the high riverbank :
http://i42.tinypic.com/2w2izac.jpg
Someone told me last year that this tree and sign no longer exists at mile 235 Dalton Hwy at the base of the two mile hill climb, as this tree was such an icon marking the farthest north spruce tree ending the treeline in this area....Some low life vandal the year before this picture was taken had removed part of the treebark in order to eventually kill this tree :
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The top of Atigun Pass is a neat site providing you hit it on a clear enough day, plenty of turnout space for parking so no problem there.
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Beware of the 12 percent grade on the south side of Atigun Pass which has a sharp hairpin turn towards the bottom, as my rpm's were too high (3500rpm in low gear) while trying to keep from riding my brakes (fully) while moving slow as much as possible...I almost lost a certain gasket located in my inner pants when the brake pedal hit the floor thus losing vacuum and braking power while approaching that hairpin turn but somehow regained braking power just in time....(speaking from the perspective of an older rig with extra camper weight equipped with average braking power anyways).
The highlight for my trip was a large caribou herd starting to cross the roadway at mile 276 Dalton Hwy :
http://i43.tinypic.com/p3bz5.jpg
This is where the weather started significantly changing for the worse as I did not proceed too much farther north before deciding to turn around as it fogged in and downpoured all the way back to Fairbanks, needless to say it was my final trip for the old original camper shell as it really took its toll on the Dalton Hwy. after the rough road had developed from the hard rain.
I also highly recommend topping off with fuel at the Yukon River Camp at the bridge (same gas price as Coldfoot back in 2006).
Also as far as restaurants is concerned...I have eaten at the Yukon Camp Restaurant three times and their food was always real good and the wait staff were very efficient despite with all the workload they deal with in between, and prices were very reasonable like you never left civilization.
There is another eatery just north of there too as all I hear is great reviews about that place but never stopped there.
As far as the truck stop at Coldfoot is concerned, I heard the service isn't all that good at times as a friend of mine that has a mining claim just north of there told me before he had a bad experience as the staff was not busy at all, (his first time and turned out only time he ate there)....Found out he was not exaggerating along my experience when I attempted to get gas there as the staff person took 20 minutes just to turn on the gas pump after waiting patiently and reminding her twice the pump must not be working right or something, as she was not busy at all either and finally the power to the pump was turned on...so I decided instead of topping off my one tank I calculated that all I really needed was 10 gallons of fuel from them and walked back in the building and got over half my initial deposit amount back as I carried extra spare fuel anyways.....it took my other friends over an hour just to get served two pizzas in a box cooked in a microwave from them also, so hopefully the Coldfoot Truckstop has improved their service since then.
The visitors center in Coldfoot however is real nice and quite the structure, as there are nice trails along the pipeline and Slate Creek to enjoy.
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AKsilvereagle
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04/14/12 11:41pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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RE: Alaskan Mosquitos
Along the coastal areas and in the Anchorage Area you wont find a mosquito problem, however in the interior areas of the far north they will be around.
In the Alaska Interior, the worst and most vicious mosquitoes will be present around the first or second week of June which are the second generation to sprout (the smaller ones).
I do carry spare mosquito nets whenever I go remote in the woods by road, foot, or canoe, or camping in my RV - as I rarely ever need a headnet (maybe wearing one once every two summers on average), they are real handy when lots of mosquitoes exist and are a blessing to have onhand.
As Joe B. mentioned, I also think those Cutter or Off brand citronella buckets help as well, we light those up during the patio picnics on the porch as mosquitoes seem to bother me less until I step away from the area....I stopped at Gakona RV Park in 1997 to use the shower facilities (on the Copper River side) and can contest to mosquitoes there too, there were many.
There have been occasions where I had to light up a small piece of a mosquito coil pic indoors in order to kill the nuisance mosquitos that have gotten their way in the house when trying to sleep....although it is not recommended for indoor use, that is one way of killing the mosquitoes without swatting at them....Pic coils are nice to have on patios, near doors, tents, and other outdoor lounging areas, same purpose with the citronella candles.
I lucked out on a deal when I seen Walmart having a closeout sale on pic mosquito coils a few years back (10 per box) and their price was .25 cents per box, so I purchased the last 19 boxes they had left in stock and was glad to purchase them versus the $2.50 to $3.00 they charge per box everywhere else and still have a dozen boxes left.
The worst encounter I had with mosquitoes and bugs by far was in the Northwest Territories along the Liard Trail in 2008 where it is real remote, they were so bad I was swarmed constantly despite applying deet and lotion as I was still being attacked, even the dragonflies were attacking and biting me which was my first encounter of a dragonfly ever being aggressive or attacking me....My dog had maybe 70 mosquitoes on her when running in the camper, as I had maybe another 100 more inside by the time I shut the door on the first night of boondocking there....Had to light up a pic coil fumigating inside the camper that burned for 45 minutes or so as I finally had some relief of bug attacking, and that included the non stop swatting and killing the mosquitoes by hand that I successfully had done, then opened the side windows and vent only to see many dragonflies and mosquitoes trying desperately to get thru the screens and shut the windows and vent once I got enough fresh air inside the camper.
Never had this extent of a bug problem at any other time in Alaska, Yukon, Alberta or BC as mentioned above, although some of the bug encounters were bad.
I noticed in the last two summers the yellowjackets and bees have not been as present as the recent years past from 2003 thru 2009 or so where they were the most aggressive as I ever seen in Interior Alaska, as they were aggressive like that in Washington State that I remembered.
I am a bug magnet as well...brands of Bens Deet and Cutter work for me best, Repel is ok, but the other brands I used seem useless to me after 5 minutes of applying them whether lotion or spray.
I know this friend of mine that never gets bothered by mosquitoes no matter how bad they are as everyone else including me are swatting them or applying repellent.....She claimed by taking a teaspoon of vinegar everyday for 10 years had deterred bugs away from her, as she stopped consuming vinegar for 12 years thereafter during a picnic gathering.
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AKsilvereagle
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03/04/12 10:36pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
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